Promoted to the post of Regional Engineer (Department of Works – Coastal Region) in September 1990.
Along with this promotion came the added responsibilities for the upkeep and maintenance of rural hospitals and clinics, urban and rural water and sanitation treatment plants, urban township services and rural schools. During this appointment, Rob had over 40 consultants and/or architects under his control.
In June 1992, Rob voluntarily stood down to commence his own consulting practice; FALT Project Management & Procurement Services.cc. This company provided Financial Control, Administration, Liaison and Technical Services to Consultants, Contractors and Local Authority Clients.

Appointed to the post of Regional Roads Engineer in 1986.
The functions of this role involved the following:

Establishment of a maintenance staff and equipment structure suitable to perform the function of maintaining the rural road network (300km).

Preparation of annual budgets for capital rehabilitation and maintenance projects.

Coordination of private sector Consultants and Contractors.

Extensive flooding took place in 1987/88 causing severe damage and the loss of several kilometres of road and infrastructure. To re-open the transportation system and re-establish access to hospitals, clinics and food outlets, over R 30m was expended under my control and guidance in less than 18 months.

1985 – 1986
AA Loudon & Partners (South Africa)
Carried out mapping and condition assessments of all the rural roads of the coastal region of Natal for the Department of Works – KwaZulu Natal. This involved the inspection of each road, the recording and mapping of all drainage culverts, pavement condition, traffic loading, road usage, etc. From these inspections, a database was created and a pavement management system developed to accurately identify priorities in respect of annual capital upgrading and maintenance requirements.

1983 – 1985
Campbell Bernstein & Irving (South Africa)
Resident Engineer on the construction of the ‘land portion’ of a land/sea effluent outfall pipeline for the Mhlatuze Water Board in Richards Bay. This project comprised a pipeline of 1200mm dia. HDPE and the construction of Glass Fibre pressure release towers.
Resident Engineer on a contract in Swaziland involving the construction of a reinforced concrete support structure for a pressure diffuser washer for the treatment of paper pulp. This structure was heavily reinforced to counteract the upward and downward thrust of the washer and had a deck slab of 1500mm thick and a soffit height of 8m above ground level.

1980 – 1983
AA Loudon & Partners (South Africa)
Assistant Resident Engineer on the construction of main road in mountainous terrain between Swartberg and Kingscote in Natal Province; Resident Engineer on the construction of main road in dune sands between Hluhluwe and False Bay in Natal Province; Resident Engineer on the construction of main road between National Road N2 and Nseleni in Natal Province including a large bridge with bored piles.

1969 – 1980
City Engineers Department – Salisbury (Rhodesia)
Joined as a school leaver in the capacity of Technical Assistant.
Experience comprised design and supervision of infrastructural services by departmental units, budgetary control and cash flow projections, in 1980 promoted to Departmental Head in the capacity of Acting Chief Civil Engineering Technician.